The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-01-13
TAik kaEE.

FRIEND HARRIS: In your issue of
Jan. 6, in my article on the tariff. it
reads, The government has no right
to impose such tariff for public pur-
poses" 1t should read, 1.-THE govern
ment has no right to impose such tax
except for public purposes" 1 will
now continue my thoughts in favor of
tariff reform.
l think some of the readers of your
valuable paper will say. you have CIV
en- us the definition of Free trade, now
please let us hear about Protective
tariff Protective tariff, imposed on
the ground of the individual or per-
ponal benefit of any man, or class of
men, other than for the purposes of
revenue, is duty, or tax, by the gov
ernment imposed on imports, to be
paid by the great majority of the pro-
pie. to enrich the few, and if carried
to the highest, or extreme meaning of
- Protective tariff it must be so high
as to be prohibitory or such as to keep
the foreign goods fora coming into
our markets and to that extent it is
prohibitory, and is opposed to revenue
for our government can only collect
revenues, or tax, on what comes into
the country. This protective idea as
sumes that few self wise, would be
goods the people shall trade than they
the millions of the people, can. Or in
other words, from milder thoughts,
that Congress knows and has the right
to say whose make of goods you shall
| buy, How do you like that idea ?
Free trade assumes that an intelligent
| free people, are capable. and might be
left TO themselves to decide, what is to
their advantage and whose make of
goods they shall purchase, without
having at each purchase to pay a large
amount of tax for the benefit of the
millionaire monopolist,
Now, what is tariff reform, for which
so many of the people of both the great
political parties are now asking? 1t
is for such change in the tariff laws
that all the taxes which the people pay
the government shall receive. and that
the amount so placed upon the goods
shall, as nearly as possible, be suffi
cient for the government needs. and
no more. And / would gay, let the
scale of duties be so moderately ar
ranged rs TO restrict, and not prevent,
i'm mportations. This would secure suf-
and at the same time stimulate do,
mestic manufacturing, by increasing
the price of competitive domestic pro-
ducts. This. of course, would con
domestic manufacturers, for to the
government there would accrue only
the revenue from the tax on what was
| imported. Then there would be the
increased price on competitive dOmes.
tic articles, which the consum el
would have to pay, and which increase
in price would go, directly or indi.
rectly, to the domestic manufacturer
but, in. the present condition of the
minds of the American people, this
may be the best that they are at pres
ent prepared to accept. My convic
tions, however, are, that any tarif
other than for revenue, is absolutely
unconstitutional, and that the idea o
protection involves the elements anC
principles of slavery. Perhaps I hav'
already pursued this question of tarif
as far as may be interesting to the in
telligent readers of your paper, so
will suspend the further considera
ton of the subject at present. l in
tend to continue it farther hereafter
s. d. N.